Book Review: The Complete Virginia Holmes Cozy Mysteries by Zelda White
The entire popular cozy mystery series contained in one single collection! Join retired detective Virginia Holmes on the adventure of a lifetime as she investigates some of the most hair-raising cases in the history of sleuthing!
This collection contains:
MURDER AT THE FILMORE
A murder has occurred at the Filmore Hotel, one of Madison, Wisconsin's most discreet lakeside resorts. It looks cut and dry: a suspect fleeing the scene, a scorned wife, a mythical murder weapon. But then a retired detective by the name of Virginia Holmes arrives. There's more to this mystery than meets the eye ... and the murderer might still be inside the hotel.
THE VANISHING SPY
A murdered French butler. A missing skeleton key. For retired detective Virginia Holmes, this case should be no problem. But when Holmes and her assistant travel to France to investigate, the sleuths find themselves embroiled in a far deeper mystery that leads all the way back to the French Resistance of World War II. Spies. Nazis. Deception. And a town that may hold a terrible secret.
DEADLY ODDS
An ancient chalice. A missing man. A mysterious death ...
Retired detective Virginia Holmes arrives in Las Vegas and quickly finds herself taking on more than she bargained for! With the help of her plucky assistant, she'll need to uncover the mystery of an ancient artifact if she has any hope of finding an important executive who's gone missing in the Sin City. But the closer they get to the truth, the faster the bodies pile up.
And if she's not careful, Holmes will be next!
**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
The Complete Virginia Holmes Cozy Mysteries is a collection of the three books in the series. Based on the way the stories are written, I would expect more books in this series in the future so now’s a good time to read the first three. According to Wikipedia, cozy mysteries are “a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.” This is important as I’ve noticed recently many authors using the term cozy mystery for something that is not a cozy mystery. This series, is the epitome of a cozy mystery and I loved that!
The writing of this series is different than many books and took some getting used to. It was almost written like a tv plot, with a narrator to guide you through scenes you’ve missed. The character of Sam Fox is the person telling these stories and acting as narrator. She speaks to the reader directly, filling in holes and catching the reader up on anything missed. Though Sam is a struggling writer with a full-time job, during the first book, Murder at the Filmore, she meets Virginia Holmes and Sam’s life is changed. Virginia, a retired detective, has suddenly appeared at the scene of a murder and decides to take over the investigation. She enlists Sam’s help in uncovering the clues. This leads the two into working together in future cases, brought to you in books The Vanishing Spy and Deadly Odds.
This was very much a whodunit with Virginia following clues and solving crimes and taking her trusty sidekick, Sam, along for the ride. Virginia is very smart, observant and able to see what many others overlook. The characters are likable, the three mysteries are varied, and each story is a quick read that engages the reader. If you enjoy mysteries, and especially cozy mysteries, this is a must read series! I didn’t see mention of a book four, but the ending of book three definitely left the impression there was more to come.
Rating: 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment